I really enjoyed the story line of Vanilla Extract by Louisa Berry.

The cover and the blurb drew me in and I had high hopes for his story. Unfortunately I found it hard and struggled to get into the story. I would read more from this author in the future, it’s just this particular book was not for me.

Wow this not so vanilla book with relatable characters that I could understand.

While a very steamy book I didn't like the episodic nature or the English setting.

It was the cover that drew me to this book and the concept of a woman finally changing her life focus to that of doing what she wanted and seek her own pleasure.
This is a book full of sex. However, it is like a diary of the exploits of a older executive woman finding out about her own sexuality and finding gratification in slightly younger men who know how to please her.
Although each encounter has different emphases the bottom line is all about sex.
At times this is gratuitous but I praise the author for her cautionary insights, demands on safe sexual practises and general care in her arrangements. Some common sense and evaluation takes place and mistakes are identified. Examples are obvious but needed spelling out. Meeting strangers, having met and flirted on social media. The need to confide in someone and take basic precautions. Being unable to leave or change one’s mind because of surrendering one’s independence and having alternatives if things don’t work out. These ideas are broached and in the terms of this adventure it appears you can learn from mistakes, bad experience and in hindsight.
Consequently it does read like a journey of discovery, written honestly and not to shock and sensationalise.
From this point of view it is not erotic writing for the sole purpose of entertaining as one might assume porn seeks to achieve for some. It is a genuine story of discovery that starts with the premise let’s have fun and not hurt anyone along the way.
There is some blurring of morals at times in coupling with unequal partners; that is men seeking extra-marital sex or cheating partners.
I guess I am a little naive in that I didn’t appreciate what a vanilla lifestyle meant before reading this book. So I have learnt something and perhaps will be more adventurous at least with my choice of ice cream flavours. I guess I am old fashioned believing in love before sex and managing both within an enduring monogamous relationship. Mating for life.
However, I recognise other views and the pleasures people gain from random and multiple sexual partners. I was pleased that aspects about relationships are touched in this account and it ends on a negative or positive thought depending on your initial point of view.

I rated this lower than perhaps it deserved because while it is well written, it most closely resembles a short story erotic sampler than a full novel about one central character. If it had an actual story (perhaps an explanation of what started her on this round of sexual exploration or an actual conclusion to her story), then I would have rated it much higher, since the author does provide an articulate, strong, female character, which I do like most of the time. However, that is all that I was given to read - one well written sex scene after another featuring at least one of the same characters with no plot, storyline, or even character development to connect them. I found this the literary equivalent of potato chips, initially good in its salt & vinegar flavor, but over further sampling just plain repetitive and lacking the substance to make a full meal out of, i.e. a real novel. I could only take it in small doses (like any salty snack food).

Vanilla Extract by Louisa Berry is the kind of women's erotica that lowers the standard of what erotica should be until it becomes really bad porn. Marketed as a tale of self discovery and sexual liberation, it is instead a story of a woman whose divorce turns her from monogamy to a sexual journey of just screwing everything in sight. But that is not the issue here, not at all. What is the issue is the quality of the story and the writing. It is cheaply made porno which you had to churn out in a day because that is how long you had the equipment and the studio rented for. There is a lot of really good erotica being written today about women, for women, and by women.

The preview for the book made the story seem interesting enough to read. Unfortunately, the writing does not live up to the hints from the advertising blurb. Vanilla extract is full of stilted writing, cliches and rather boring, repetitive, sex scenes. After a couple chapters, it's obvious that the scenes are all going to follow the exact same pattern and it become tedious to read - it is a situation where less would have been more fulfilling. The author indicates there is a second installment, but I will most likely give it a miss.

This was a different read for me. Normally I stick to YA or suspense novels but the description caught my eye. I really enjoyed reading about the author's life adventures. Absorbing, erotic and full of surprises. I also loved that Lou is spontaneous, confident and fun and didn't let much bother her. Not my normal reading choice but I was quite entertained while reading about all the fun she had! Thank you!!!

I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was not what I got. This does not really read as a cohesive story. It is more a bunch of sexual encounters-- one per chapter. They don't seem to be related, and she seems to have no life outside of the encounters. It mentions she is a mother, but her children never seem to be anywhere in the book. The basis is basically that she is "discovering herself," and apparently to do that she needs to use various sex hook up websites. She meets strangers-- whom of course she knows VERY well from online and telephone conversations, and of course all of them are with great bodies and great personalities-- unclear why any of them would need a hook up website. She is also of course the best at all sexual endeavors. Overall the main character was flat and one dimensional and not very likable. Neither were any of the "supporting" characters, who were really all one night stands.

This is a book about pure erotica. If you don't want to read a story with a plot, or character development, and only about smoking hot sex, then this is the book for you. I personally enjoy a story line, but to each their own. The sex scenes are enjoyable, but I would have enjoyed to understand why Lou embarked on her sexual adventures.

I started reading this book about Lou’s adventures and found myself cheering her on. She was so confident and really seemed to be enjoying herself. Even when things didn’t go as planned she had a laugh after the event and viewed it as a life lesson. However I did feel there was a lack of tenderness and affection but I guess it is what it is, still entertaining. We’ll see where her adventures take her next.

I read 3 of the stories in this book and while I found them well-written for the most part, I didn't not find them particularly exciting or unique compared to other erotica I have read and enjoyed.

This book explains the life of an older woman trying to find herself again through sexual experiences. For me the book skipped around a lot and there wasn't a whole loy of story there for me to really get into and not want to put it down. I had to keep taking a break and come back to it and see if i could get into it and i never did. Each chapter shows a different experience with a new man and then it ends. There was nothing catchy to grasp or a big ah ha moment for me.

This book is about a woman named Lou, and each chapter is a different "encounter" she has had. In that way, the book is nice because if one chapter doesn't float your boat, you can move on without screwing up the storyline. There's also a fair amount of humor to round out the stories. This wasn't quite the book I was looking for. It was well written, just wasn't my cup of tea.

If you want a fun erotic adventure Louisa Berry's Vanilla Extract is for you. Although she pushes the bounds of what is vanilla its all about vanilla sexual escapades. The one thing it isn't though is bland and boring. Its a real hoot that is not only highly erotic but just plain old fun. Its full of variety and there are constant surprises. It is a wonderful and enjoyable book about having fun. Well done Ms. Berry.